Chelsea defeated English rival Manchester City, 1-0, in Porto, Portugal, to triumph in the Champions League final Saturday, winning the European competition for the first time since 2012.
The underdog went ahead shortly before the break on a brilliant pass from Mason Mount to Kai Havertz, who got behind the City defense and beat goalkeeper Ederson to score his first Champions League goal.
Chelsea toppled Manchester City, 1-0, in Saturday’s Champions League final in Portugal, winning the club’s first continental crown in nearly a decade and spoiling the Premier League champion’s hopes for a title in its first final appearance.
Kai Havertz’s 42nd-minute goal secured the Blues’ third win in its past three meetings with City, all of which have come in the past two months. Chelsea won its first — and what had been its only — Champions League trophy in 2012.
Manchester City, which secured the Premier League crown two weeks ago, was favored to win the competition for the first time in club history, despite losing to Chelsea twice in the past two months. Coach Thomas Tuchel had revitalized Chelsea since he joined the club in January, leading it to a top-four Premier League finish.
Christian Pulisic replaced Timo Werner in the 66th minute, becoming the first U.S. men’s national team player to see the field in a Champions League final. (Nine American women previously made final appearances.)
His substitution came as each team continued to freshen their sides. City’s Fernandinho replaced Bernardo Silva in the 64th minute.
Shortly after entering, Pulisic came close to doubling Chelsea’s lead but pushed his 72nd-minute shot just wide.
Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne was treated for several minutes following a 56th-minute collision with Chelsea defender Antonio Rüdiger that led both to require medical attention. De Bruyne was replaced by Gabriel Jesus when he returned to his feet and Rüdiger was shown a yellow card.
Chelsea fans were concerned Edouard Mendy, a key piece of the team’s defensive resurgence, might not play in Saturday’s final. But the Senegalese goalkeeper proved fit enough to start against Manchester City and helped put the Blues ahead when he launched a long ball, which Ben Chilwell shifted to Mason Mount to spur Chelsea’s 42nd-minute attack. Mount exposed a misshapen City back line with a piercing through ball, which pitted Kai Havertz against a charging Ederson at the top of the box.
Ederson slid. Havertz’s left-footed tap sent the ball past him and he poked it into the empty net to put Chelsea ahead minutes before halftime.
Havertz’s goal lifted Chelsea after Timo Werner failed to convert several promising opportunities earlier in the half. By intermission, City held slightly more possession (52-48 percent) but Chelsea had created more chances (five shots to three), punishing its Premier League foes just minutes after losing Thiago Silva to an injury.